Fans are wondering whether The Umbrella Academy‘s Luther was recast and whether Tom Hopper, who plays Luther in the show, was replaced in the role for Season 4. This would not be surprising considering how Luther looks remarkably different in the latest and final season of the show.
In The Umbrella Academy, Luther aka Number One served as the leader of the team, up until they went their separate ways after growing up. He resumed leadership after they reunited and faced significant developments and changes throughout his character arc.
So was Luther recast for The Umbrella Academy Season 4? Was Tom Hopper replaced in the role? Here is your answer.
Was Tom Hopper’s Luther replaced by a new actor in The Umbrella Academy Season 4?
No, Tom Hopper was not replaced by a new actor for The Umbrella Academy Season 4.
He played the character from the show’s beginning till its ending. In flashback sequences, however, a younger Luther was played by Cameron Brodeur. But Luther looks remarkably different for a significant portion of Season 4. He sports a different hairstyle and also has human-like proportions.
There is a simple and logical explanation for the significant difference in Luther’s appearance from Seasons 1-3 and Season 4, even if it is not the definitive explanation. Prior to the events of Season 1 and before Sir Reginald Hargreeves’ death, Luther had been spending some time on the moon.
He was at the moon guarding an object of grave importance to Reginald. Unfortunately, Luther suffered a terrible accident that put him in critical condition. To save his life, Reginald altered his DNA by injecting gorilla DNA into his bloodstream. This led to Luthor developing ape-like proportions and lot of body hair, making him appear quite large.
However, at the end of Season 3 and start of Season 4, Luther’s appearance reverted back to how he was before having the gorilla DNA injected into his body. This was after he, the other Hargreeves, Sparrow Ben, and Lila found themselves in a new timeline, stripped of their powers.
But it should be noted that Luther’s ape-like features were not originally not a part of his powers, which include superhuman strength and endurance and were a later addition to his genetic makeup following his accident.
Despite this, Luther regained his ape-like features upon the restoration of his powers by drinking sake spiked with marigold. However, the definite connection between Luther’s ape-like characteristics and his powers will remain unanswered due to the show having ended.
